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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wired in-ear monitor that doubles as a serious music-listening earphone with a detachable cable, choose Kinboofi KZ ZSN PRO; if you need an over-ear gaming headset with a boom mic and console-friendly plug-and-play comfort, choose IMYB A88.
• Kinboofi KZ ZSN PRO — biggest strength: a hybrid 1BA + 1DD driver setup with a detachable 2-pin-style cable, which is unusual flexibility at the in-ear level.
• Kinboofi KZ ZSN PRO — biggest trade-off: it's an in-ear design with sound isolation only, no surround processing, and the inline control doesn't support volume.
• IMYB A88 — biggest strength: a purpose-built gaming headset with a 50mm driver, 7.1 surround claim, and a 120° adjustable noise-canceling boom mic.
• IMYB A88 — biggest trade-off: it's a bulky over-ear with a fixed cable and no detachable mic, so it's a dedicated desk/console tool rather than a pocketable one.
• Who each pick is for: KZ ZSN PRO for listeners and musicians who want detailed stereo in a small shell; IMYB A88 for players who want a mic on their head and one cable to the controller.
The KZ ZSN PRO X is the upgrade path of the older KZ ZSN PRO, and the changes are spread across the drivers, the cable material, and the shell. Inside sits a 10mm dual-magnetic dynamic driver handling the low end alongside a 30095 balanced armature driver for the highs. That hybrid arrangement is the whole point of this earphone: the dynamic driver gives you weight and body, the armature handles detail and vocal clarity, and the two together widen the frequency response. The tuning is done by an acoustic team rather than left to chance, which is why the human voice comes across as richer and more forward than a single-driver budget in-ear typically manages.
Physically, the shell mixes zinc alloy metal with resin. The metal gives it a sparkle and rigidity, the resin keeps it light enough to wear for long stretches. The cavity is curved to follow the ear, so it seats tightly, and the elastic memory PU tube hooks around the ear to hold it there without you constantly re-adjusting. Impedance is 25 ohm, which is low enough that a phone or a laptop headphone jack can drive it without a separate amp. The cable is detachable — four strands of 100-wire silver-plated copper — and that's the feature that matters most here. A detachable cable means the earphone outlives the wire, and it opens the door to swapping in a cable with a different termination or a mic module later.
IMYB A88: Who It's For
The IMYB A88 is the opposite philosophy. It's a 280g over-ear headset with a double-layer hand-woven pressure-relief headband and protein leather earcups, built around the assumption that you'll wear it for hours at a desk or on a couch. The 50mm high-density dynamic drivers are paired with a 7.1 surround sound claim and a bass-forward tuning, which is the classic gaming-headset recipe: you want to hear footsteps behind you and you want explosions to land. Frequency range is listed at 20–20000 Hz with 32 ohm impedance and 42 dB sensitivity, so it's easy to drive from a controller or a laptop jack.
The microphone is the headline. It's described as sensitive, clear, noise-canceling, and non-static when recording, and it's mounted on a 120° adjustable flexible boom, so you can park it near your mouth and move it out of the way. That's the exact thing the KZ ZSN PRO cannot do — a boom mic at the corner of your mouth versus an inline mic sitting on the cable near your chest. For voice chat, party lobbies, and streaming commentary, that difference is not cosmetic.
Compatibility is broad and explicitly listed: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One Series X/S (older versions need an adapter), Nintendo 3DS, Switch, laptop, PSP, tablet, iPad, computer, and mobile phone — anything with a 3.5mm jack. The build uses an adjustable hand-knit headband, a long-lasting case, and a braided cable, all described as durability-tested, and there's a 1-year limited hardware warranty. The enclosure is ABS plastic in pink. Buy it if you want a gaming-first headset with a real mic and console support out of the box. Skip it if you want something pocketable, if you prefer in-ear isolation, or if you want a detachable cable you can replace.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for voice chat and streaming → IMYB A88. The 120° adjustable noise-canceling boom mic beats an inline cable mic every time.
• Best for long sessions → IMYB A88. 280g with a pressure-relief headband and protein leather cups is built for marathon wear, though over-ear weight is still over-ear weight.
• Best for portability and isolation → Kinboofi KZ ZSN PRO. In-ear, snug, passively isolating, and small enough to live in a pocket.
• Best for console gaming → IMYB A88. PS4, PS5, Xbox One Series X/S, and Switch are named directly; older Xbox needs an adapter.
• Best for repairability → Kinboofi KZ ZSN PRO. The detachable cable means a broken wire doesn't kill the earphone.
• Best for surround-style immersion → IMYB A88. The 7.1 surround and 50mm bass tuning are the gaming-audio features the KZ simply doesn't offer.
• Best for a single do-everything pair → Kinboofi KZ ZSN PRO, as long as you accept that "everything" means music and casual play, not competitive voice chat.
In my opinion, these two aren't really competing — they solve different problems, and the right answer is whichever problem is yours. If your priority is positional audio, a boom mic, and a headset you can wear through a six-hour session on a console, I'd buy the IMYB A88. If your priority is clean stereo detail, a small isolating fit, and a cable you can swap or replace, I'd buy the Kinboofi KZ ZSN PRO. I lean toward the KZ for most people reading this, because a hybrid-driver in-ear with a detachable cable covers more of daily life — phone, laptop, handheld, music — than a desk-bound headset does. But that's an editorial call, not a spec. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable this comparison deliberately leaves out.
are studio headphones better than gaming headsets
Not universally — they're tuned for different jobs. The KZ ZSN PRO leans toward accurate detail with its balanced armature plus dynamic driver, which suits music and monitoring. The IMYB A88 leans toward bass, 7.1 surround, and a boom mic, which suits games and chat. "Better" depends entirely on whether you need a microphone on your head.
what headphones do pro gamers use
There's no single answer, and I'm not going to invent one. What the specs here show is that the IMYB A88 is purpose-built for the job: 50mm drivers, 7.1 surround, a 120° adjustable noise-canceling mic, and named console compatibility. That's the feature set competitive players look for, regardless of brand.
do all headphones have mics
No. The IMYB A88 includes a built-in boom microphone. The Kinboofi KZ ZSN PRO ships in a "With Mic" configuration with an inline control button, but that mic lives on the cable, not on a boom, and the inline button doesn't control volume. If you need hands-free voice chat, that distinction matters.
can studio headphones be used for gaming
Yes, with caveats. The KZ ZSN PRO is a 25 ohm in-ear with a 3.5mm jack, so it plugs straight into a controller or laptop and gives you clean stereo and passive isolation. What you give up is virtual surround and a boom mic — so it works well for single-player games and poorly for party chat.
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